Bahrabise-Tatopani section of Araniko Highway reopens

KATHMANDU, Aug 6:

Vehicular movement resumed on Barhabise-Tatopani section of Araniko Highway on Thursday, more than three months after the earthquake.

Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu organized a program in Kathmandu on Thursday to formally announce the reopening of the road section.

The road section was opened jointly by Nepal Army and Chinese security officials.
Speaking on the occasion, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Wu Chintai said they have re-opened the track in the first phase. In the second phase, China will help Nepal clear debris from the road section. Similarly in the third phase, China will expand the road to make it capable enough of supporting bilateral trade, transport and tourism.

Fu Sing, Major General of Chinese Army, said though the track has been re-opened, monsoon-induced landslide or rock fall could block the road section. "But the probability of landslide is less than before," Sing said, suggesting Nepali officials to put machine and workers on standby to respond to any blockade.

Spokesperson of Nepal Army Jagadish Chandra Pokhrel informed that the road is now open. Issuing a press release Nepal Army said it used 19 engineering equipment and 20 supporting equipment in addition to the support of technicians from Chinese army.

Though vehicular traffic on the road section has resumed, Ngaindra Prasad Upadhaya, secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, said trade along Tatopani Customs Office won't be possible at least until monsoon.

Similarly, Arjun Gautam, general secretary of Nepal Trans-Himalayan Border Commerce Association, said they had been repeatedly requesting the government to open customs offices in Keirung and Tatopani to resume bilateral trade. "As both the customs offices are not in operation, we have to import goods via Kolkata port which is expensive as well as time consuming," he added.

Divya Pokharel, chief of Tatopani Customs Office, said the road section risky for heavy commercial vehicles. "We could not reach Tatopani on Wednesday due to landslide threats at over a dozen points along the road section," he said, adding, "However, we have planned to set up office at the under-construction Larcha dry port once China opens its customs office." Upadhyaya also said there are no traders in the Chinese town of Khasa on the other side of Nepal-China border.

Meanwhile, price of Chinese products might go up by 20 to 50 percent in the coming season due to supply chain disruption.

Source: Republica